Thompson, Obama lead in S.C. poll

There’s an old saying in sports that the most popular guy in town is always the backup quarterback. Fans only see the upside of the guy sitting on the bench while the starting QB’s attributes and flaws are on display for the whole stadium to see.

Fred Thompson is the GOP’s equivalent of a backup quarterback. Unhappy with the starters vying for the Republican nomination – Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain – conservatives are looking hopefully at Thompson. The former Tennessee senator and TV and film actor was the number one pick of likely South Carolina primary voters surveyed recently by Mason-Dixon.

On the Democratic side Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, leads Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., 34 percent to 25 percent. There’s a feeling in Democratic circles that Obama’s campaign has stalled slightly. If he continues to trail Clinton in national polls his campaign may decide to concentrate on a few key states like South Carolina to slow Clinton’s momentum in early ’08. According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll Clinton’s lead nationally is 33 percent to Obama’s 21 percent. In the GOP race the same survey found Giuliani on top with 28 percent and Thompson in second with 19 percent.